Her Majesty offers her condolences to The President of Haiti on the occasion of the earthquake:

“I am deeply saddened to hear of the earthquake in Haiti, with its huge loss of life and damage to homes and livelihoods. I offer my condolences and profound sympathy to all those affected. Elizabeth R”

Queen Elizabeth II is the longest-lived Canadian monarch – but Queen Victoria has thus far had the longest reign: over 63 years.

Today CBC is running an online poll asking Canadians if we’d like to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee in a similar manner – vote here.

Any celebrations are still over two years away, with plenty of other important events to come before – not the least of which are the 2010 Winter Olympics beginning shortly. Nevertheless, the Diamond Jubilee will be an important moment for Canada, with several generations of Canadians having been born under the reign of Queen Elizabeth II – a time of tremendous progress.